Tea Party

Among the many great mysteries of life for me is this one: political candidates who loudly proclaim themselves to be conservative, all the while gleefully flushing handfuls of thousand dollar bills down the toilet.

One of the tenants of conservatism that is usually most loudly touted is this one: diligent watchfulness over the spending of every dollar.

Indeed, with the rise to prominence (if that’s what you want to call it) of the Tea Party, tight-fisted fiscal obsessiveness is practically the defining trait of conservatism.